Benefits of Using the Kindness Elves in the Classroom!

Here are the great benefits of using the Kindness Elves in the classroom  for the enriching character development of kids aged 3-9. 

I first wrote all about my idea for using Kindness Elves to inspire kids to be kinder and more empathetic back in 2013 here on my blog in a viral blog post. Read all about the fun and inspiring idea behind the Kindness Elves here. If you’re brand new to the idea then read that first then come back and read this!

Since launching The Kindness Elves and associated products we have been in contact with many wonderful teachers who have absolutely loved the positive impact that they have had in their classrooms. As a primary (elementary) school teacher of many years myself, I very much wanted the Kindness Elves to be used in a way to support the PSHE (Personal, Social, Health Education) curriculum and could instantly see how beneficial they could be for individual classes and even the whole school environment.

Quick list of positive results when using the Kindness Elves in the classroom 

The Kindness Elves…..

Encourage many positive behaviours and actions

Model thoughtfulness towards peers and adults

Teach empathy for others in different classes, age groups and the wider community

Encourage gratitude and reflective thinking

Develop community spirit

Inspire team work and collaborative skills

They also engage children in lots of literacy skills, both reading and writing and encourage them to write for a meaningful purpose.

They are used brilliantly with years Nursery/ Pre-K to Year 3/ Grade 3 and can even be applied further up the school with a little adaptation of the materials. They have been very successfully used in preschool and nursery setting, with a simplified application.

But don’t just take OUR word for it!

Read these wonderful letters of recommendation that were sent to us as emails from teachers around the world! Thank you so much for your kind words.

[You can read Sheryl’s full review of the Kindness Elves over on her blog at Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds. ]

Susie Sporre has sent us countless emails, photos and even videos of the children in her class engaging with the Kindness Elves and showing so much thoughtfulness towards each other. Thank you Susie!

Jane Wagner is an Elementary School Principal and wrote a very eloquent email to spell out her love for the Kindness Elves!

Why are the Kindness Elves so effective?

Kids LOVE to believe in magic and the Kindness Elves have the same effect as listening to a puppet or favourite tv character. They love the little Kindness Elves and will listen to their ideas and stories with lots of attention [sometimes even more than their parents or even their teachers! ]

When I was teaching I always used large class puppets for different areas of learning e.g. a squawky parrot puppet who was terrible at phonics and messed up each time he tried to learn new sounds. The classes found this uproariously funny and would correct his mistakes and teach him how to do it properly. Another creature helped us to count along a number line and yet another was always up to mischief and needed guidance from the kids about how to keep the school rules and be a good classmate.

It was with this knowledge and experience of 10 years classroom teaching that I considered just what an invaluable tool the Kindness Elves would be for any classroom. They can work in exactly the same way to inspire a sense of camaraderie and special relationship with the children in the class, and even those who know perfectly well that they are not real (so I have found now with my own older kids who still ADORE them!)

What do you DO with them in the classroom?

Class Mascots

The Kindness Elves make wonderful class mascots who can arrive by magic along with a copy of the story book which explains all about them. This will help the children to know that they’ve come to visit because they’ve heard what a wonderfully kind class this is and that are ready to work together on some special kindness missions, both within the class and further in the school community too.

They can live on a special Kindness shelf with their little home and all of the associated Kindness materials e.g. the Kindness Jar, Kindness Stone, Thankfulness Wall, printable kindness stationery etc.

PSHE and Circle Time Teaching Tools

Use the Kindness Elves to introduce pertinent topics via their little mail box or as a written suggestion on a special board they can write on each day! Use them in the place of puppets to have a third party view point, to raise questions or as “noticers.” Use their little Kindness Rock to pass around and take turns during discussions and spend time listening to them model character praise and acts of kindness ideas to inspire their own thoughtful behaviour. Plus many more examples, tailor made to suit your own class experiences and needs, of course!

Good Behaviour Encouragers

The Kindness Elves are not bad spies who report bad behaviour to the teachers. Actually they are quite the opposite and report back when they’ve seen GOOD things happening, which is a unique and really effective behaviour management approach. Kids love to be “noticed” being good and kind, and the keen eyes of the Kindness Elves, as well as the lovely messages they write secretly on the board overnight are a real encouragement for further great behaviour too! Purposeful praise promotes further great behaviour and a positive learning environment for all.

Gratitude Growers

The Kindness Elves are encouragers by nature and like to look for the good in others and the everyday happenings of life. They can ask the children to be grateful and start thankful displays, notice the good in others and write things they’ve noticed onto special notes for a Kindness Jar and so many more great, simple ideas to bring these sometimes abstract concepts to life in a way that is meaningful and age appropriate.

We have a fantastic,  pre-prepared mini curriculum for using the Kindness Elves at school called Kind Classroom, which is an eBook packed with lesson ideas, games, group activities and printables to use with your class! I’ve taken all of the work and done it all for you so that you can be ready to go as soon as you have your kit and get your classroom set up!

You can read our full introduction and review of Kind Classroom here on the blog.

We have a WONDERFUL special offer for you, our fans of the Kindness Elves! For the month of August only we are offering a very special TEACHER BUNDLE at a reduced rate for any teachers who wish to purchase a STARTER PACK for their own class! This is such a great way to get started with the Kindness Elves and is a brilliant resource for your PSHE curriculum.

The TEACHER BUNDLE STARTER PACK includes:

1 set of Kindness Elves in your own choice of colours

1 hardback copy of The Story of the Kindness Elves

1 Accessories Pack (filled with stickers, magic sprinkles, mini postcards, acts of kindness suggestion cards and a Kindness Memory Book!)

A copy of Kind Classroom

The bundle price is reduced by a whopping 15% during the month of August. Just scroll down to the bottom of the product page to see the bundle button and add it to your cart there!

Know a teacher who would adore the cuteness of this simple, kind concept? Please share this post with them or even order the Teacher Bundle for their school as a gift! They will be thrilled with your act of kindness!

And to see all of our other products please visit our full, dedicated website over at The Kindness Elves. Com

Please share all about this special offer with your friends!

And if you already have the Kindness Elves at your school you may like this post about Showing Acts of Kindness to Your Teachers, complete with free printable acts of kindness ideas to set out for your kids to use!